According to polling data by CBS News and YouGov, Millennial voters in Iowa really like Bernie Sanders. In fact, the Vermont Senator turned presidential candidate is actually supported by more than three-fourths of Iowa voters age 18-29.
Unfortunately, Bernie’s reception with the older Democrats in the state seems to be a bit more lukewarm. Iowa Democrats aged 30-65+ seem to strongly favor Hillary Clinton over Sanders, with the disparity increasing as the age of the voter rises.
The Millennial support of Bernie Sanders raises some interesting questions when compared to that of older voters: what does Hillary Clinton have that makes her so appealing to older voters, and what makes Sanders so inspiring to the younger ones?
Both Bernie and Hillary have been involved in the political process for decades. However, Sanders supports issues that pro-business/establishment candidates have been reluctant to meaningfully address for years– tuition free college, mandatory paid sick and maternity leave, and universal healthcare. Hillary Clinton on the other hand was on Wallmart’s board of directors for six years.
That’s not to say that Hillary would be a bad president, or that she would be unwilling to address those issues if given the opportunity. In fact, I bet Hillary would actually do a pretty good job. She’s had years of firsthand experience as to what the life of a president is like. I’m also willing to bet that she understands both the power and limitations of the office more so than any other candidate in the running.
Personally, my opinion is that Hillary’s image problem is what she represents to young voters as opposed to what she actually is. From what I’ve seen, the general consensus is that Hillary reeks of the establishment, which is a problem if she wants to relate to voters who are against the status quo.
Bernie Sanders represents Democratic voters’ disillusionment with the political system in much the same way that Trump does for Republicans. Not that the two men have much in common beyond that, but the point still stands.
Bernie Sanders has the image of an every-man who has been relatively untainted by the political process, while Hillary Clinton’s history makes her seem like a continuation of policies and attitudes that younger voters are rebelling against.
Image provided by Michael Vadon via Flickr under a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike License.
